Tamasha Live is based on events around us, says Nagesh Bhonsle

Filmmaker Sanjay Jadhav and his team recently unveiled the song ‘Naandi’ from their upcoming movie Tamasha Live at Nitin Chandrakant Desai’s ND Studios in Karjat, about 90km from Mumbai.

The film has an ensemble cast that includes Sonalee Kulkarni, Siddharth Jadhav, Sachit Patil, Bharat Jadhav, Hemangi Kavi, Nagesh Bhonsle, Mrunal Deshpande, Yogesh Soman, Pushkar Jog and Manmeet Pem.

For those unaware about naandi, it’s a song performance by artistes before the start of a Marathi play. Tamasha Live is the first movie it is being tried in.

Nagesh Bhonsle was happy to be a part of the song, more so because he felt the attendance of people for the launch was “five times that seen in a multiplex hall”.

Speaking to Cinestaan.com after the song launch, the actor said, “I think this should have happened in movies long back. Naandi should be played even before movies. We feel proud to see Sanjay Jadhav and our team coming up with it. There is a different sort of pride as an artiste to be a part of something historic.”

Bhonsle believes that working in a multi-starrer Marathi film is a fulfilling experience. “There are some big and popular artistes in this film,” he said. “And all of them are down-to-earth. This is worth appreciating for Marathi actors. No matter how popular they become, they remain simple. Despite being a small actor, I never felt like I was working with such big names. Everyone took good care of me.”

Discussing the title of the movie, Bhonsle felt we see a tamasha (commotion or fuss) in a lot of things around us. “There is tamasha at home and in our country," he remarked. "There is so much of it in politics today. These politicians are ensuring we feel bad to have them around. So we have brought out one kind of tamasha in this film. It’s based on things happening around us.”

The teaser for Tamasha Live, which was released yesterday, indicated that the film is based on the scenario in today's television media. The film sees Sonalee Kulkarni and Sachit Patil playing news anchors.

Bhonsle said that when Sanjay Jadhav invited him to join the project, he did not even ask which character was being offered. “I have worked in Sanjay Jadhav’s movies in the past,” he said. “In some other films, he was the cinematographer. We have a strong bond since long, so I was sure he wouldn’t offer me anything weird. I instantly said yes because of the concept. We don’t get to see such content today.”

Bhonsle shared that his method of preparing for characters has changed over the years. “After working for so many years, I get to do and study something new [each time],” he said. “So my preparation keeps changing with every character. And it has to change with changing times. For example, earlier there was a lot of melodrama in acting. Then it got subtle.”

The artiste, who has been acting since the 1990s, is content with his journey so far. “People have loved me and my characters,” he said. “But an artiste is never satisfied. It’s not possible for him to say that I would be satisfied after doing a certain film or character. So I also want to do more good work in the future.”

Produced by Planet Marathi, Tamasha Live will be released in theatres on 24 June.